EU after Pisa 2025

Nearly 34% of 15-year-old students in European Union schools fail to reach the minimum proficiency level in mathematics, while one in three faces the same problem in reading. Following the publication of the results, European institutions responded by presenting new initiatives and outlining planned measures to improve the quality of education.

A Decade of Decline

On September 8, 2026, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) published the results of the PISA 2025 international assessment. The study involved 760,000 15-year-old students from 91 countries.

According to the OECD, average mathematics and reading scores across its member countries have fallen to the lowest levels recorded in the history of PISA.

On October 5, the European Commission published its first EU-level analysis of the PISA 2025 results. All 27 EU Member States participated in the assessment.

According to the PISA 2025 results, 33.9% of students in the European Union do not reach the minimum proficiency level in mathematics, 31.3% in reading, and 25.9% in science. At the same time, the small proportion of high-performing students is also a cause for concern: only 6.8% of students achieve the highest proficiency levels in mathematics, 4.8% in reading, and 6.4% in science.

Thereforե, a significant proportion of students in the European Union fail to reach the minimum proficiency level. The following table presents the EU-wide figures for the assessed subjects.

According to the European Commission, since 2015, the proportion of students performing below the minimum proficiency level has increased across all three areas in the EU. At the same time, the share of high-performing students has declined. One in three students in EU countries does not meet the minimum threshold in reading or mathematics.

This is particularly concerning in the context of the European Union’s education targets for 2030. The EU aims to reduce the proportion of students performing below the minimum proficiency level in mathematics, reading and science to less than 15% in each area, while increasing the share of top performers to at least 12%. However, the current figures remain well above these targets for underachievement and below the target for high achievement.

According to the PISA 2025 results, the EU is not meeting any of its 2030 targets. Moreover, according to the European Commission’s official statement, none of the Member States has reached the 12% high-performance target in reading or science. In mathematics, only two countries — Estonia and the Netherlands — have achieved this level.

Thus, the problem is not limited to the large number of low-performing students. The EU is also facing a decline in high achievement.

Key Challenges

In its analysis of the PISA 2025 results, the European Commission identified several issues associated with student performance.

PISA results reveal associations between student performance and the use of digital devices. However, these findings do not make it possible to establish a direct causal relationship or conclusively identify the reasons for the decline in performance. The same applies to the use of artificial intelligence. It is important to consider how and for what purposes students use it: whether it supports learning and helps them understand material more easily, or reduces the need to think independently and complete assignments on their own.

The OECD’s September 8 statement also emphasises that digital tools should be used moderately and for clearly defined educational purposes. According to the study, intensive use and the use of devices for entertainment at school are associated with lower performance.

The European Commission’s Official Response

Approximately one month after the publication of the PISA 2025 results, on October 5, the European Commission presented its first EU-level analysis.

Roxana Minzatu, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission responsible for Social Rights and Skills, stated that the Commission’s forthcoming education package should help Member States support teachers, strengthen students’ basic skills and prepare education systems for the age of artificial intelligence.

Following the publication of PISA 2025, the European Commission linked educational challenges not only to schools but also to the EU’s economic competitiveness, social cohesion and long-term sustainability. According to the Commission, the continued decline in basic skills threatens the EU’s future competitiveness and social resilience.

This response is significant because the European Commission has not merely outlined the existing problems but has also identified the next stage of the policy process: an education package scheduled for November 2026.

It is also worth noting that on October 8, 2026, the European Parliament adopted a resolution on the pilot initiative entitled “European School Alliances”, with 443 votes in favour, 98 against and 47 abstentions. The initiative aims to expand cooperation between schools in different EU countries, promote innovative teaching methods and develop students’ civic, democratic and critical-thinking skills.

The European Parliament also called for ensuring the participation of schools operating in socio-economically disadvantaged conditions, reducing the administrative burden on participating schools by simplifying procedures, introducing proportionate reporting requirements and providing clear, practical guidance for schools, education authorities and local institutions. It also called for the establishment of clear criteria for assessing the initiative’s results.

Although discussions on the initiative had begun before the publication of the PISA 2025 results, the European Parliament adopted the relevant resolution on October 8, one month after the results were released.

Planned Changes

More detailed information about the proposed measures can be found in the preparatory documents for the new education package.
On July 30, 2026, the European Commission had already launched a public consultation on its proposed “Education Package”. The document identifies three main challenges: declining basic skills, growing teacher shortages and the need to modernise digital education infrastructure.

School leaders, teachers, education authorities, researchers, civil society organisations and other stakeholders were invited to contribute to the consultation. The deadline for submitting contributions was September 8 — the same day the PISA 2025 results were published.

This means that preparations for the education package had begun before the new PISA results were released. However, on October 5, the European Commission confirmed that the PISA 2025 analysis would also be used in developing the new package.

The Commission’s preparatory document provides a clearer picture of the changes under consideration.

Supporting Low-Performing Students

The first area of the new package concerns the decline in basic skills. The European Commission plans to support Member States in implementing measures aimed at improving learning outcomes, with particular attention to students from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

The preparatory document identifies several possible tools: additional individual or small-group instruction, teaching methods based on research evidence, improved teacher preparation and the targeted use of digital educational tools.

Thus, the European Commission intends not only to set educational targets but also to support specific pedagogical interventions that can help achieve them.

However, as of October 28, these measures remained proposals included in the preparatory documents for the new package. Their final content and implementation mechanisms will have to be determined following the package’s adoption.

Teachers’ Working Conditions and the Attractiveness of the Profession

The second component of the new education package is the proposed agenda for teachers and educators. Its aim is to address teacher shortages by improving opportunities for professional development, working conditions and career prospects.

The European Commission also bases the need for this initiative on a comparative study of the teaching profession published on June 11, 2026. The study draws on the findings of the 2024 Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS 2024).

According to the study, approximately 40% of teachers in the EU countries examined are aged 50 or older, while teachers under 30 account for just 8%.

The research also identifies gaps in professional preparedness. Teachers report feeling relatively less prepared to work in multicultural classrooms, support students’ social and emotional development, and use digital tools.

The study also addresses administrative workloads, classroom discipline and challenges related to student behaviour.

These findings are important because the European Commission’s proposed measures are based not only on students’ performance in PISA 2025 but also on a separate international study examining teachers’ working conditions.

Digital Education and Artificial Intelligence

The third area of the education package concerns digital education infrastructure. The European Commission’s preparatory document highlights access to digital education, inclusion, technological sovereignty and the need to preserve people’s ability to make independent decisions in the age of artificial intelligence.

This is particularly relevant in light of the PISA 2025 findings, which draw attention to digital distractions and the uncritical use of artificial intelligence.

However, the European Union has already taken steps in the field of digital education. On June 18, 2026, the European Commission and the OECD presented a framework comprising 19 AI competencies grouped into four areas. These cover interacting with AI, creating with AI, managing AI use and developing informed perspectives on the development of the technology.

The framework is intended for teachers, school leaders, curriculum developers and education policymakers. It is accompanied by examples of how the competencies can be applied in the classroom.

An Unresolved Challenge

According to the European Commission, 68% of teenagers already use artificial intelligence, while consistent approaches to its effective and responsible use in education systems are often still under development.

The initiative was launched before the publication of the PISA 2025 results. Therefore, it is not a direct response to the new findings, but the European Commission already presents it as part of its policy for the digital transformation of education.

New Research on AI and Digital Technologies

Following the publication of the PISA 2025 results, the European Commission also presented new research on digital education and artificial intelligence, which will be used in preparing the forthcoming education package.

One of the key conclusions of the research is that better performance on a task with the help of artificial intelligence does not necessarily translate into better learning.

The EU’s Response to PISA 2025

Developments at EU level between September 8 and October 28, 2026, reveal several established facts. The European Commission has published a dedicated analysis of the PISA 2025 results, documenting the continued decline in basic skills and the significant gap between current performance and the 2030 targets.

The Commission has publicly responded to the findings, highlighting the need to support teachers, strengthen basic skills and prepare education systems for the age of artificial intelligence.

Two weeks after the publication of the PISA 2025 results, on September 22–23, the European Literacy Coalition was officially launched in Brussels.

The coalition brings together educational, research, cultural and civil society organisations with the aim of improving literacy, sharing effective teaching practices and supporting schools and teachers. Its activities also include developing the ability to understand and evaluate information in the digital environment.

At the launch of the European Literacy Coalition, Normunds Popens, Deputy Director-General of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture, expressed the EU’s support for the initiative, noting that the EU would be guided by the Warsaw Memorandum in its work.

Diana Jabkonska, representing the European Commission, highlighted the timely nature of the coalition’s establishment in light of the concerning PISA results and said that its voice would be heard. She assured participants that the European Union would support the coalition’s work, helping to disseminate and scale up effective practices.

However, the initiative has only recently been launched, and its impact on student learning outcomes has not yet been measured.

Whether this response will translate into newly funded programmes, measures implemented in schools and measurable improvements in student learning remains to be seen. This will become clear through subsequent policy decisions and reports on their implementation.

The next major milestone in European education policy is the education package scheduled for publication in November. It will show what new measures the European Commission proposes to address the prolonged decline in educational outcomes.

Lilit Avagyan